Interesting NYT Firefighting Tactics And Furniture Article

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This article from today's NYT talks about possible new firefighting tactics being tested due to the change in furniture materials over the last few decades. Today's furniture burns differently than in the past, which affects ventilation and how quickly the fire burns. It also affects how toxic the smoke is.

I got interested in firefighting and emergency services when I moved out on my own and realized I was now solely responsible for my safety in my home. Luckily I lived across the street from a firehouse with some really friendly guys who worked there so I had the chance to talk to them about it. I was also interested in it from a community standpoint, because I was doing work with refugees and other non-English speakers. I got a chance to talk to some firefighters in a forum about my questions and they also taught me a lot. It helped me feel more safe to understand what causes fires and how they are put out. (How they are put out: call 911.) 

Just like after my dad died and I wanted to know more about how bodies stop working and I took the EMT class, learning about the fire service has been very enriching. These kinds of articles really interest me because of the reality of how we have to adapt when we purposefully change our environment. Architecture interests me for the same reason. I look forward to learning about how these tests affect FDNY firefighting tactics, which seem to affect firefighting tactics in the U.S. as a whole. (My perception, I could be wrong about this.) 

If you want to know more about how your living environment and what you own affects firefighting, this is a great article. 

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